Throughout our history, social innovations have played a central role in our technological transformation. By applying technology to resolve social innovation challenges, the Philippines is looking to solve the urbanisation challenges of Metro Manila.

Metro Manila, the most densely populated region in the Philippines
Accounting for 36.5% of the country’s GDP, Metro Manila is home to more than 12 million people.
It is also the most densely populated region in the country with a population density of 20,785
persons per km2, more than 60 times higher than the national level.

Every day, residents of the city have to deal with one of its most pressing concerns: traffic
congestion. A 2017 survey ranked Metro Manila as the 3rd-worst congested city in Asia. People
had to spend 66 minutes on average stuck in traffic every day.

According to a study, traffic congestion costs the Philippine economy up to P3.5 billion (US$67
million) a day. If no intervention takes place, this amount is likely to increase to over P5.4 billion
(US$104 million) a day by 2035. Over the same period, transport costs will have risen by 2.5
times, drastically affecting the livelihoods of lower-income groups more than the rest.

By 2030, Metro Manila is expected to house 14 million people. This growth will further complicate
the urbanisation issues and add more stress to the city. To resolve this, the government has
embarked on the New Clark City project to decongest the city.

Just 80 km away from Metro Manila lies New Clark City, a development with improved urban planning, infrastructure and public services …

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New Clark City: a long-term initiative to decongest Metro Manila

Just 80 km away from Metro Manila lies New Clark City, a development with improved urban
planning, infrastructure and public services to ease the pressure of population growth in the
capital. At full completion, New Clark City will accommodate 1.12 million residents, create
925,000 jobs and account for about 4% of GDP.

As a modern smart city, advanced technology will be integrated seamlessly integrated into New
Clark City. Services key for day-to-day functions, such as traffic management, public transport,
emergency services and security systems, will be managed through an integrated operations
centre.

Hitachi has been helping policymakers to achieve their smart city visions in Kashiwa-no-ha City, Moreno Valley and Las Vegas.
The Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Project offers a vision of cities that co-exist harmoniously with
nature, support the health and longevity of its residents, and foster the creation of new industries.
With our expertise in smart city technologies, Hitachi is helping Kashiwa-no-ha City realise its
ambition of a sustainable and human-friendly city.

As the development in New Clark City takes shape, the government is planning to connect the
upcoming city, based in Central Luzon…

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Linking New Clark City to Metro Manila by rail

As the development in New Clark City takes shape, the government is planning to connect the upcoming city, based in Central Luzon, to Metro Manila with a new railway system.

Upon completion, the new line aims to shorten a 2-hour travel time from Metro Manila to New
Clark City to 55 minutes. Expected to benefit 350,000 passengers daily in its first year of operations, the new line will ease the load of Metro Manila’s MRT-3 line, which serves about
600,000 passengers daily, despite a capacity for just 350,000.

As part of the initial stage, New Clark City is sharing data with Hitachi for planning purposes. With
extensive expertise in building railway systems in Japan and England, Hitachi hopes to play a key
role in the new railway system, bringing comfort and convenience to people in the Philippines.

For power generation, New Clark City is looking to avoid heavy reliance on non-renewable sources of energy…

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An efficient energy management system for New Clark City

For power generation, New Clark City is looking to avoid heavy reliance on non-renewable sources of energy. With a dual-focus on renewable energy and a smart energy management system, the city seeks to ensure self-sustainability for its power, water and waste management
facilities.

To do so, it is looking to Hitachi to provide a Smart Grid solution, where power distribution will be
allocated automatically by channeling extra power to areas with higher demands within the
system.

Hitachi is studying the feasibility of such a system by leaning on our experience of implementing
the Area Energy Management System in Kashiwa-no-ha, which allows for efficient use,
monitoring, and control of energy in the smart city.

Social innovation led by technological solutions
New Clark City is just the first step to decongest Metro Manila and absorb population growth by
focusing on technological solutions for social innovation. By working hand-in-hand with
policymakers, we help to co-create a better future for the Philippines in the years to come.

At Hitachi, our expertise in IT and Operational Technology helps to advance social innovation and
raise the quality of life in the communities we serve.